Month: May 2016

ZENITH: The pinnacle, the best of its kind. The highest standard achievable by which everything is judged. “As we begin to write a bold new chapter in Rolls-Royce history, I am delighted to present a Bespoke Collection that so elegantly celebrates two of the world’s rarest and most celebrated luxury goods; Phantom Drophead Coupé and Phantom Coupé. Phantom Zenith Collection motor cars speak of the marque’s unrelenting commitment to setting and advancing the standard by which all other luxury goods are judged.” Torsten Müller-Ötvös, Chief Executive Officer, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars. From its foundation 112 years ago, the story of Rolls-Royce Motor Cars has been defined by a restless commitment to setting and raising the standard by which all other luxury goods are judged. On January 1 2003, this philosophy was realised emphatically with the handover of the first seventh generation […]

Visitors to Concours of Elegance 2016 – held at Windsor Castle from 2-4 September –  will have the unique opportunity to see four of the remaining 1926 British Grand Prix cars in one place. In a celebration of Her Majesty The Queen’s 90th birthday, the historic racing cars will be joined by a revolutionary British car from each decade of Her Majesty’s life. Organised by the Royal Automobile Club, the very first British Grand Prix took place at Brooklands Motor Circuit, Surrey, in the year of Her Majesty The Queen’s birth, 1926. A total of 11 cars took part, with just three finishing the race, and Concours of Elegance 2016 will mark the first time that this many competitors have gathered since the race 90 years ago.

An innovative historic vehicle restoration course and apprenticeship scheme is moving to Bicester Heritage, the centre for automotive excellence based in Oxfordshire. The course, run by Active Learning and Banbury and Bicester College, equips students with the skills they need to go on to a career in the historic motoring industry. The move to Bicester Heritage means that they will be able to study in a supportive environment surrounded by businesses and experts practising the skills that they are looking to emulate.

JD Classics’ legendary ex-Fangio C-Type took victory at the Monaco Historique over the weekend, cementing its place as one of the most consistently successful historic racing cars in current competition. This latest win marks its 24th award in 27 races. JD Classics’ in-house racing driver, Chris Ward, took the wheel for qualifying in what was his very first time racing at Monaco. Ward put in an incredible lap that put him in pole position around two seconds ahead of the nearest competitor.

More than 180 cars are due to attend the Fawley Hill Concours d’Elegance for the Total Trophy, presented by international auctioneers COYS at this year’s steam and vintage weekend, which takes place between Friday 20th May and Sunday 22nd May. On all three days over the weekend, COYS alongside their corporate partners leading International oil and gas company Total, will be providing a fabulous hand-picked selection of very high-quality classic cars, which will all be competing for the People’s Choice award, the Total trophy.

Morgan is introducing the Michele Butler Collection of collectible household items for the Morgan enthusiast. A selection of beautifully hand drawn images of classic Morgan cars, from a Flat-Rad, to a Plus-8 or a 3-Wheeler. These classic drawings are captured in stylish mugs, coaster and collectible magnets for all Morgan enthusiasts. To check out the full collection and order online, please check out the Morgan Motors online shop. Note: Press release courtesy of Morgan Motors.

A 1972 Lotus Elan Plus 2S first supplied to Formula 1 driver, the late Ronnie Peterson, is one of the undisputed – and very affordable – stars at Historics at Brooklands summer sale in Surrey on Saturday 11th June. With a tempting estimate of  £18,000 – £22,000, this very original Elan Plus 2S 130/5 is sure to attract considerable interest as, besides its proven provenance, it’s also the very first chassis to leave the Hethel production line fitted with the five-speed gearbox. Ronnie Peterson – dubbed ‘Super Swede’ by his legion of fans – was given the car by Lotus boss Colin Chapman in November 1972. Doubtless, it was a great welcome present to Lotus after Peterson left the March F1 team to sign for the 1973 season alongside Emerson Fittipaldi at the wheel of the John Player Team Lotus […]

This year’s Goodwood Festival of Speed (June 23-26) will host the global debut of the first design model of the current generation of MINIs, MINI Seven. Taking its name from the very first Mini, the 1959 Austin Seven, MINI Seven has been designed to fuse the brand’s classic heritage with modern design and technology. MINI Seven joins the current MINI Hatch range in 5-door or 3-door form and features specially designed exterior and interior looks unseen before on this generation’s model line-up.

The #58 650S GT3 of customer team Garage 59 finished P6 in the second round of the Blancpain Endurance Cup at Silverstone to maintain Factory Driver Rob Bell’s Blancpain GT Series title hopes with six rounds remaining. There was further success for the 650S GT3 in Italy as customer team FFF Racing Team by ACM finished P2 in the inaugural round of the Michelin GT3 Le Mans Cup at Imola. Bell and fellow Factory Drivers Côme Ledogar and Shane Van Gisbergen started the three-hour race at Silverstone P12 after an extremely tight Qualifying session earlier in the day, before fighting through the field during the race to set up a close battle to the finish. Bell started in the #58 Garage 59 McLaren 650S GT3 and in a similar fashion to his performance at Monza made up a lot of […]

Please note! The survey and contest are now closed. We will be posting the winner and some thoughts on the survey results soon.  Thanks to everyone who participated!

This just in by way of an email from Isis Motors, and I shall quote … While details remain to be finalized, the latest word from the Morgan Motor Company is that they anticipate opening the order books for NEW Morgan cars for the USA, possibly as soon as this summer. It is possible that production may begin on USA spec cars before the end of the year. The most likely model – as yet unconfirmed – would be the Morgan V6 Roadster. This will be a most welcome development as I, and I know many others, eagerly anticipate the return of the sale of full 4-wheeled Morgans to the US.   Isis Motors is so sure of all this that they are now accepting deposits. They say that “deposits are refundable up until 8 weeks prior to the build […]

A significant anniversary requires a significant car and, Lotus is marking 50 years since the founding of its famous factory with a limited Hethel Edition of its benchmark Evora 400. Available in three exclusive colours, with matching trim options and a special commemorative build plate, the Hethel Edition Evora 400 combines high performance with Lotus’ legendary chassis development. Winning the praise of customers and the motoring press since its launch, the Evora 400 weighs in at just 1,395 kg and epitomises Lotus’ approach to efficient engineering. The Hethel Edition Evora 400 is the first in a series of special products and events marking this important milestone in the company’s history, when, in 1966, founder Colin Chapman moved Lotus to the purpose-built facility in Hethel, Norfolk.

The expected star of the show at the forthcoming Bonham’s Aston Martin auction is a 1953 Aston Martin DB3S, raced by Sir Stirling Moss, Tony Brooks, Peter Collins, Roy Salvadori and Reg Parnell. With an estimate of £6-7 million, the ex-works race car is expected to attract the attention of classic car collectors across the globe. “Few cars that have appeared in film can also boast an association with so many great names from the heyday of British sports car racing, but this Aston Martin DB3S does just that,” said Tim Schofield, Bonhams UK Head Motoring. “Drivers who raced it include such legends as Peter Collins, Roy Salvadori, and Sir Stirling Moss, competing at world-class level in such gruelling races as the Mille Miglia, the Spa Grand Prix and the Nürburgring 1,000kms.”

I thought that for this go around of our Video of the Week (VotW) we would go for something that is almost unheard of these days – at least unheard of beyond the shores of the UK herself. So, let’s take a look back at the Jowett Javelin and the Humber Super Snipe. While both of these marques and models would get you a bewildered look at the local DMV, and perhaps a talk about it being a serious place of business and not a source of pranks for your amusement, they were actually well known and fairly popular cars in their day. To quote Wikipedia on the Javelin, “The Jowett Javelin is an executive car that was produced from 1947 to 1953 by Jowett Cars Ltd of Idle, near Bradford in England. The model went through five variants labeled […]

MINI USA is proud to introduce the new MINI Seven, the first special edition of the latest MINI generation which presents a striking combination of the brand’s traditional values and the progressive product quality of the current models. Exclusive design features on the exterior and interior underscore the British origins, hallmark driving fun, premium character and extrovert appeal that make the new MINI Seven a more exceptional phenomenon in urban traffic than ever before.   The 2017 MINI Seven special edition will be available in both Cooper and Cooper S variants of the MINI Hardtop 2 Door and 4 Door models in late summer. Pricing will be announced closer to the vehicle’s arrival in market.

Stratstone has been revealed as the owner of one of the famous 2015 Jaguar Lightweight E-types. Chassis number 15 is one of the infamous ‘Missing Six’ and didn’t have to travel far from the iconic Jaguar Browns Lane production facility in Coventry as it made its way to its new base at Stratstone Jaguar London in Mayfair. The fascinating story of the Lightweight E-type dates back to February 1963 and the intended 18-car ‘Special GT E-type’ race car project from that time. Only 12 of the 18 were built and delivered by the Browns Lane competitions department between 1963 and 1964, which gave rise to the infamous ‘Missing Six’. These missing chassis numbers – 13 to 18 – were found in 2014, and so the modern-day production by Jaguar Land Rover’s new Special Vehicle Operations division’s Jaguar Classic, got underway.

An early Aston Martin DBS, which has been sleeping in a barn since 1986, is set to be offered for sale at Silverstone Auctions’ May Sale, at the Silverstone race circuit, on Friday 20th May. This right-hand drive DBS is the definition of a true barn find. Despite three decades collecting dust, it still exudes Aston Martin’s iconic presence and style. Delivered new to its first owner in Surrey on 5th November 1968, it was finished in mink bronze with a red Connolly leather interior, and the specification included a Motorola Radio, Borg Warner automatic gearbox, power assisted steering, fog and spot lamps, and air conditioning.

Morgan Technologies Limited is delighted to announce the appointment of new company Chairman, Dominic Riley. Dominic joins the 107 year old family owned firm from June, taking over from Andrew Duncan, who will remain as a Non-Executive Director of the family trust.